Notes:
“Text”= Japanese People Speaking
“/Text/”= English People Speaking
“+Text+”= American People Speaking
“#Text#”= Australian People Speaking
Shawn stood in the empty garage, grinning.
“/Well,/” he said. “/What do you think?/” The others stood looking at his latest creation in odd ways.
“Well, it’s…” Shuichi began.
“It’s…” Hiro said.
“/Babes, it’s…/” Nicole said.
“+Yeah, it’s…+” Lucas said. Shawn grinned harder. His painting stretched from wall to wall. Black and red were the only colors to be seen on this paper. Carnage, blood, war, dying, angels and demons fighting, too much energy on the page.
“/Sweet, huh?/” Shawn asked. His friends still reminded silent.
“Are you going to enter that into the art festival?” Shuichi asked.
“/Yes,/” she said. “/Problem?/”
“No,” Hiro replied. “It’s just…”
“/What?/” Shawn asked.
“Isn’t it a bit…” he said. “Much.”
“/Much?/” Shawn asked. “/As in how?/”
“+Well, look at it,+” Lucas replied. Shawn turned his head and looked at his artwork.
“/Okay, so?/” he asked. The others just went silent. Shawn rolled his eyes and groaned. Why couldn’t they understand true art at times? Such a pain, really.
Subject: Shawn
Shawn doesn’t really do anything. He has no drive and no goals. It’s his last year in school and he doesn’t have any plans. This worries both of his girlfriends.
“/You need to plan your future,/” Cherry pointed out in between classes. Shawn only glanced up at her.
“/Yeah, yeah,/” he brushed off.
“/What do you want to do after school?/” Nicole asked him at his house. He only looked over at her.
“/What?/” he asked. She leaned over the kitchen at him.
“/You know,/” she said. “/Any plans if you graduate?/” Her boyfriend frowned at her.
“/Why?/” he asked.
“/I want my child’s father to have a stable future,/” she said. Shawn frowned at her.
“/Have you been talking to Cherry?/” he asked. Nicole raised an eyebrow at him.
“/Why? Did she say the same thing?/” she asked. His other girlfriend frowned.
“/Shawn,/” she said. “/I’m serious here./” He rolled his eyes at her.
“/Fine,/” he brushed off. “/I’ll figure something out./” Nicole frowned at him sternly.
“/You won’t, will you?/” she asked.
“/I will!/” Shawn brushed off. “/I will! I will!/” Her face said that she didn’t buy it at all. Something had to change.
That wish came along five days later. This would last for six days as a result.
Day One:
That morning started out as normal that Saturday. Shawn’s mother went out to her new job. Her son woke up at ten in the morning. He found the note on the kitchen counter.
Shawn:
I will home late tonight. Lunch and dinner are in the fridge. You know the emergency numbers. Don’t get into any trouble while I’m gone.
Mum
Shawn sneered at the note. Don’t get fired again, he thought sarcastically. He walked into the living room and put his iPod on. He took out his sketchbook and began to draw again. The man didn’t have much planned for today.
Noon came around. Still nothing happened much. Shawn ate lunch and took a nap. Not much happened in the afternoon either. By sundown, the situation had changed.
His mobile awoke him up from his nap. Shawn grumbled to himself as he reached for the phone.
“/What?/” he asked, annoyed.
“/Shawn!/” Nicole cried on the other line. Her boyfriend sat up on the couch.
“/Nicole?/” he asked. “/What is it? What’s the matter?/”
“/It’s your mother!/” his girlfriend cried. “/She’s collapsed at work./”
“/Huh?/” Shawn asked.
“/Your mum collapsed at work!/” she repeated.
“/Okay…/” he said. “/How?/”
“/They aren’t really sure yet,/” she said. “/She’s been taken to hospital./”
“/Damn,/” Shawn muttered.
“/Please hurry and be with her,/” Nicole pleaded. Shawn nodded slowly.
“/Okay…/” he said.
“/Please!/” Nicole pleaded.
“/Alright, alright,/” he brushed off. “/I’ll be over. I promise./” He looked over at the microwave in the kitchen. 6:28, huh? The man shrugged to himself. Might as well go, right? Shawn got off of the couch and went into his room to get dressed.
He didn’t hit the road until seven that night. The man knows he won’t make it to the hospital in time. So, Shawn decided to just drive around the city until late. He stopped in the park and got out of the van. He took out a blunt and lit up. As the man smoked his joint, a few thoughts crossed his mind.
Why should I go and see how she is?, he thought. She doesn’t really give a shite about me. All she does is drink and scratch off lottery tickets. Shawn shook his head.
“/Stupid,/” he mumbled to himself. The man took another smoke. He looked out on the darkened park. He spotted a young teenage couple walking along, holding hands and kissing. Shawn rolled his eyes to himself.
Saps!, he thought. Reminded him of his sweeter friends in a way. Speaking of which, how were they doing? Cassie was busy planning her wedding. (Nick’s not enjoying this though. Poor bastard.) Emma and Fujisaki were shacked up permanently. Simon and Casper got back together. Same thing with Sid and Arisu. Kat and Alfie are looking stable for the time being. Lucas and Lexie were doing better. Shuichi was plotting to marry Yuki by later this year. Hiro and Ayeka were going great relationship-wise. Even Ando had a girlfriend. So, what was wrong with him and Nicole?
Suddenly, his phone rang again. Shawn reached into his pocket and opened it up.
“/Hello?/” he asked.
“Shawn!” Hiro said aloud. “Where are you?” Shawn looked at his phone.
“/Hiro?/” he asked. “/What are you calling me for?/”
“Nicole told me to check and see where you were,” he said. “Why aren’t you at the hospital right?” The other man shrugged.
“/Well, it’s closed, isn’t it?/” he asked.
“But you should at least try and check on her,” his friend pointed out. Shawn and rolled his eyes to himself.
“/Fine,/” he grumbled. “/I’ll be right over!/” He hung up before Hiro could say another word. Shawn groaned as he put out his joint.
“/You lot are just annoying,/” he mumbled. The man got into his van and drove all the way to the hospital. He spent the night in the hospital parking lot.
Day 2
Shawn’s cell phone woke him up again. He grumbled as he reached over for it.
“/What?/” he asked.
“Is this Harrison-san?” a lady asked on the other line. The man sat up in his van.
“/Yeah,/” he said. “/What of it?/”
“Your mother is out of surgery,” she said. “She had a clot in the brain, but she hasn’t woken up yet.” Shawn nodded to himself.
“/Oh,/” he said. “/Well then, I’ll be right up./” The English man hung up before the nurse could say another word. He looked out of the tinted windshield.
“/Right…/” the man mumbled. Shawn got out of the van and made the trip across the parking lot. So annoying.
He spent the first few moments in the waiting room. The man jus scrolled around on the internet to kill the time. The nurses and his mother’s coworkers kept eye on him.
“He’s not attempting to check on her, is he?” one of his mother’s coworkers asked. The boss kept his eye on him.
“He’ll come in when he’s ready,” he said. The woman looked uneasily. Outside in the hall, Shawn’s phone rang again. He switched away from the browser.
“/Hello?/” he asked.
“+How’s your mom?+” Lucas asked. Shawn shrugged to himself.
“/Dunno,/” he said. “/She hasn’t woken up from surgery./”
“+What will you do when, you know?+” the American man asked.
“/You mean when she dies?/” Shawn asked.
“+Well… yes…+” his friend mumbled. The British man shrugged again.
“/Don’t know,/” he said. “/But I hear she’s got a sweet life insurance policy./”
“+Shawn, you wouldn’t…+” Luke said.
“/I might have to,/” his friend replied. “/In fact, I’ll talk to you later./” He hung up before Luke could argue this line of thinking. Shawn smirked to himself at this new opportunity. He got out of the chair and went to go find help with this new legal matter.
“Boss!” another employee complained sometime later. The middle-aged man looked up at her from his business magazine.
“Is something wrong?” he asked. She came over to the cafeteria table where he sat.
“Her son is being a creep!” the employee complained. “He’s asking around about Harrison-san’s life insurance policy if she dies. What should I do? Should I send him away?” The manager lowered his magazine.
“Let me talk to him,” he said.
“But sir!” the woman said aloud.
“I’ll talk to him,” the boss repeated. Then, he rose up from his chair and walked out of the cafeteria. He found Shawn in the hallway. The British punk looked up when a shadow cast over him. The manager looked him in the eye.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked.
“/Yes,/” he said. “/You’re mum’s boss, Ikari-san./”
“That is correct,” he said. “Come with me, I want to show you something.” Shawn gave him an odd look.
“/Why?/” he asked.
“Just come along,” Ikari-san said. Shawn shrugged a bit.
“/Okay…/” he said. The men got into Ikari-san’s Jaguar and drove all the way across town. Shawn looked bored out the window the whole time.
“/What is this about?/” he asked.
“You’ll see in a moment,” the boss insisted. Shawn sighed and rolled his eyes.
“/This bloody well better not take up anymore of my time,/” he grumbled. “/I just want to go home now./” The boss smiled to himself. They pulled up to the toy company where Shawn’s mother had started working yesterday. The English man looked out the window. He blinked for a bit.
“/Uh… why are we here?/” he asked. Ikari-san got out of the Jaguar and closed the door.
“/Hey, wait!/” Shawn called as he leapt out as well. “/Come back here, you bastard! You haven’t answered my question!/” Ikari-san smiled to himself as he kept walking. Shawn puffed up his cheeks and followed after him.
They came all the way to the office area where the employees took calls. With each step Shawn became angrier.
“/Okay, old man!/” he shouted. “/Spill it! Why the hell are we here?!?/” Ikari-san turned to him, smiling. Shawn looked over at his mother’s desk. His anger turned into confused surprise. On the desk sat a picture of a brown-haired six-year-old dark blue swimming trunks playing in the sand. Shawn picked up the framed photograph out of curiosity.
“/Is that… me?/” he asked. The boss man nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “She has always kept that picture of you.”
“/But why?/” the British man asked. Ikari-san neatly placed his hand on his shoulder.
“Because she loves you, son,” he said. “She may not act like it, but she loves you and wants you to be better than your father was.” Shawn stayed silent as he looked at the picture. The boss man leaned down to his ear.
“Do you want to go see your mother now?” he asked. Shawn nodded once.
“Okay then,” Ikari-san said. “Then, let’s go.” Both men handed out of the office.
Shawn sat by his mother’s bedside, planning again. Maybe this slumming around wasn’t so good anymore. Maybe, it’s time for a change. Yeah, that’s it. Shawn picked up his phone and dialed an important number.
“Hello?” a woman’s voice asked. Shawn sat back in his chair.
“/Ono-san!/” he said. “/I think I will take you up on that scholarship./”
“Perfect!” his art teacher said. “I knew you would come around. What changed your mind?” Shawn smirked to himself.
“/Oh… Just wanted a change,/” he said.